Research could help Forestry Industry 'Pick Trees that will do well in Future Climates'

An international study, which includes a researcher from the University of Calgary, has found that two trees in Alberta and British Columbia use the same genes to adapt to different climates — a discovery that could have practical applications for the forestry industry.

The research, published Friday in the journal Science, studied lodgepole pine and interior spruce to determine which genes helped the trees adapt to varying climates throughout the two provinces.

“We sequenced genomes from many different species across the ranges,” said Sam Yeaman, an assistant professor in the U of C’s faculty of science who’s a co-author on the study. “We found that there were about 47 genes that were specifically helping these trees adapt to their environment in both pine and spruce. read more >>